Senin, 08 Februari 2010

Sample Scholarship Recommendation Letter

Recommendation letters can generally be classified into three types: Academic Reference letter, Character reference letter and Employment Reference letter.

One of the pre-requisites for writing a Recommendation letter or a reference letter is that you should know the person well enough to recommend him or her.

At the outset of the letter, it is important to establish the writer’s credibility in order to make the letter more effective.

It is best to write such letters on a business or company letter-head and also to include designation (in case of Employment and Academic reference letters) of the writer. Scholarshiprecommendation letter is one such example.

While writing these letters, it is important to remember to clearly show for how long and how well the writer has known the individual in question and also in what capacity. For instance, an Employeerecommendation letter would be more effective when given by the immediate boss or supervisor.

The closing paragraphs should preferably reiterate the recommendation of the individual.

The body of the letter should include specific instances which throw more light on the personal traits of the individual, which would be beneficial. SampleCharacter Reference letter would be one such example.

The length can vary, but generally should be about a page, as the person reading the letter may not have too much time to go into minute details. It would also be a good idea to give a contact number or e-mail address for any further clarifications.

The letter should be personalized as it has a better chance of it being more effective. For example, a Student Recommendation letter can highlight the good qualities of the student which may not be reflected in the test scores or grade sheets.

here is the example

From:

Jean Fernandez,

Department of English,

University of Madras,

Madras.

To:

The Scholarship Selection Committee,

John Milton Scholarship Foundation,

London.

29th September, ‘08.

I hereby wish to recommend (Mr. Richard Brown) for the (John Milton Scholarship Award). I have known (Mr. Richard Brown) for the past (4 years) that he has been a student in our Department.

(Mr. Richard Brown) has been a very sincere and diligent student whose hard-work is a constant source of inspiration for the other students. He has always excelled in his academics and stands among the top 2% in his class. He has won many prizes in both academic and extra-curricular activities.

His achievements stand out all the more because of the financial problems that he has to deal with on a day to day basis. He works part-time in the Department Library and also takes on part-time teaching jobs in the community to enable him pay his college fees.

However, the financial problems have never interfered with his enthusiasm and motivation to finish his Graduate and Post Graduate Studies. His sincerity and dedication have earned him many top honors in the University.